Hosiery



Filed May 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Elma/whom Patented Oct. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,484,522 2 nosmnr Henry Mayer, Athens, Ga.

- Application May 24, 1948, Serial No. 28,838 I 4 Claims. (01. ss-isn The present invention relates to flat knitted full-fashioned stockings and more particularly to the heel construction of such stockings.

The principal object of the invention is to form the heel of the stocking in such manner that it will conform to the arch of the foot of the wearer. As the arch of the foot is on the inside thereof, it is to be appreciated that producing stockings intended to snugly fit the arch necessarily results in the formation of stockings for the right foot and stockings for the left foot, just as shoes are designed to fit one foot or the other.

A primary feature of the invention consists in providing one of the heel portions of a stocking blank with a narrowing line for the bottom of the heel which is a continuation of the narrowing line for the adjacent side of the heel, the narrowings for the bottom of the heel in the other heel portion of the stocking blank being spaced from the lower end of the adjacent line of narrowings for the adjacent side of the heel.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing narrowings for the bottom of the heel in opposed heel portions of a stocking blank, the narrowings for the bottom of the heel in one of the heel portions being substantially parallel with the adjacent selvage, and the narrowings in the other portion of the blank extending at an angle to its adjacent selvage.

Other and more specific features of the invention, residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of the stocking blank for the left foot.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of the stocking blank for the right foot.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the heel portion of the stocking blank embodying my invention.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary under side view of the sole of the tocking after the marginal edges of the blank have been sewed together.

As is well understood in the art, the stocking l is made by seaming the blank 2 and includes the usual features found in full-fashioned hosiery, such as a turned welt 3, knee narrowings 4, leg narrowings 5 and reinforced areas 6 for the heel, and similarly reinforced portions 1 for the remaining part of the sole and for the toe.

Shortly below the top of the heel area, there is a widening caused by a controlled outward movement of the narrowing fingers of the knitting machine, the widening having selvages which incline outwardly with respect to the center line of the blank. After obtaining its maximum width the heel area is progressively narrowed until it merges into the foot of the stocking, the selvages thereof inclining inwardly. During the formation of these heel portions, the operation of the narrowing fingers form the usual fashion marks or narrowing lines.

At one side of the stocking blank, the widened heel portion has narrowing lines arranged in the usual pattern. Thus the narrowing line 8 for the sole of the heel is spaced from the widening line 9 for the adjacent side of the heel. At the other side of the stocking blank the widened heel area however has narrowing marks or lines In which extend continuously from the widening lines H for the adjacent side of the heel. The fashion marks or narrowing lines l0 extend at a substantial.

angle to the adjacent selvage, while the other narrowings in the other portion of the heel are parallel to their respective selvages.

After the stocking is completely formed by seaming, the narrowing lines 8 in one heel portion will be substantially parallel with the seam l2 connecting the two edges of the blank, while the narrowing lines In extend forwardly at an acute angle to the seam. As may be seen from Figure 4, the wales of the knitted stocking which extend around the back of the heel generally extend longitudinall of the foot from the end of the heel to the narrowings Ill. However, because of the angle at which the narrowings are disposed, the wales which extend around the adjacent side of the heel are drawn in to cause the adjacent portion of the stocking to snugly fit the arch of the foot 0 of the wearer. This angular disposition of the narrowing lines Ill create a definite pocket in the heel and serves to cause the foot of the completed stocking to conform with the arch of the foot. Since the arch of the foot is only on the inside thereof, it is necessary to separately produce stockings for the left foot and for the right foot, and it is to be observed that the only difference between the stocking blanks illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is that one is for the left foot and the other for the right foot. After the stockings are seamed, the ones for different feet can be easily told by the angularity of the narrowings H] with respect to the seam.

What I claim is:

1. A heel construction for a stocking blank having opposed portions for the heel of the stocking, widening lines in said portions for the sides of the heel, and narrowing lines in said portions for the bottom of the heel, the narrowing line for the bottom of the heel in one of said portions being spaced from and extending at an angle to the widening line for the same portion of the heel and the narrowing-line for the bottom of the heel in the other of said portions extending at an angle to and forming a continuation of the widening line for the other side of the heel to cause the foot of the completed stocking on the last mentioned side to conform to the arch of the foot.

2. A foot-"constructionzfor a stocking blank having opposed heel portions and a toe portion, each heel portion having widening lines for the sides of the heel and narrowing lines for the bottom of the heel, the narrowing line for the bottom of the heel in one of said heel portions being spaced from the widening line for the same side-ofthe' heel and the narrowing line for thebottom ofithe heel in the other of said heel portions being a continuation of the widening line in the other sideof I the heel and extending forwardly therefrom toward'said toe portionwher'eby the footofthe completed stocking on the last mentionedrside will be caused toxconform to the arch of the foot;

3. A heeli'constructi'on for a stocking blank'havingopposed portions for the-heel of'the stocking, each portio'nhavin-g-a narrowing line for the bottom' of the heel; the-narrowingline for the heel in one of said portions being substantially parallel with thevadjacent selvage' and r the narrowing line in the other of said portions" extending forwardly at an acute angle to its adjacent selvage so that the foot of the completed stocking 0n the last mentioned side conforms to the arch of the foot.

4. A heel construction for a stocking blank having opposed portions for the heel of the stocking, each portion having lines of widenings for the side and narrowings for the bottom of the heel, the line of narrowings for the bottom of the heel in one of said portions being substantially parallel with the: adjacent iselvage and being z'spa'ce'd from the lower end of the adjacent line ofwidenings for the same portion of the heel and the line of narrowings for the bottom of the heel in the other of said portions extending continuously from the line of widenings in said other portion of the heel at=-an angle to its selvage so that the foot of the "completed 'stocking on the last mentioned side conforms with the arch of the foot.

HENRY MAYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in thefile of this patent Schletter. J uly"29, M1947 

